Sports experts explain how to keep your cool under pressure

It was going to be the Pandemic Olympics, a series of depressing games that would elicit indifference at best. Then there was sport, which did its job. Tokyo was great, despite the lack of visitors and the looming menace of Covid. It also evolved into something new: the Mental Health Olympics.

When Simone Biles withdrew from the gymnastics competitions, she brought an unprecedented spotlight to the psychological problems of professional athletics.
One of the greatest athletes of all time had opted to put her thinking ahead of her will – and the huge pressure – to win. “There’s more to life than gymnastics,” she explained.

She returned to the beam event after taking stock in a Tokyo gym, winning a bronze medal in what may have seemed like one of her biggest successes A component of an athletic summer has been mental health.

Biles cited Naomi Osaka, the Japanese tennis player who withdrew from this year’s French Open to deal with anxiety and despair. Brain over brawn generated debate at Wembley, when England’s penalty “curse” reappeared, and at Wimbledon, where British wildcard Emma Raducanu exited the psychological furnace of No. 1 Court prematurely.
Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish returned to the Tour de France in stunning fashion after conquering depression.

Keeping your cool under pressure is important not just in sports but also in your life. Sports professionals show you how to do that.

Cut your objectives in half

Sports psychologist Claire-Marie Roberts says, “If you’re in a very difficult position. It actually helps to break larger goals down into parts.”

Self-talk can help you avoid imposter syndrome

“Use positive affirmations,” adds Roberts. “Tell yourself, ‘I can do this, I’ve done it before, I’m supposed to be here.’”

Visualize your achievement

Roberts explains, “This is critical for establishing trust,” “Imagine yourself completing the objectives you’ve set for yourself.”

Pay attention to the repercussions

Sports psychiatrist Steve Peters says, “If we don’t address the results of what we’re attempting to do, they can feed on our thoughts and weaken attention. Go through the consequences of failure or achievement one at a time and lay them to rest.”

Relax

“Breathing, muscular relaxation, meditation, or simply listening to music can help bring you down from a state of heightened arousal and allow you to refocus,” Roberts explains.

Concentrate on what isn’t working

Peters adds, “You’re asking yourself what you’re doing that isn’t helping you achieve your goal, and you’re focused on that.”

Celebrate your victories

Geir Jordet, a psychology professor, says, “It’s crucial to indicate that you’re delighted to everyone around you when you do well in a team – it’s contagious.

Jordet advises, “Don’t pass time for the purpose of passing time, which may result in overthinking and unnecessary stress. Take a few seconds to concentrate on what you can manage.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/aug/21/how-to-win-at-life-what-sports-psychologists-can-teach-us-all

Finally here’s a video in which Dr. Jonathan Fader, a performance psychologist and author of ‘Life as Sport,’ explained how athletes keep their minds concentrated and offers advice on how to stay focused.”

Source: Sports experts explain how to keep your cool under pressure – Towards A Better Life

#daily-post, #health-and-fitness, #mental-health, #postaday, #self-improvement

How to become highly confident with 14 tips

An organisation is never more confident than its leader, emphasising the necessity of leaders demonstrating unwavering confidence in themselves, their vision, strategy, and people. You will find 14 tips in this article that can help you become a highly confident person.

Leading with confidence entails subtleties such as avoiding the reverse (leading from a place of fear) and knowing how to deal with criticism.

It also entails understanding not only what features to project but also which actions to avoid.

Having seen a multitude of leaders over a 30-plus-year career, from über-confident to the point of arrogance down to timid and unsure, I’ve developed an eye for what constitutes highly (but not unjustifiably) confident leaders and the behavioral traps they avoid.

Here are 3 of the 14 behaviors that can make you a highly confident person:

1. They are not looking for attention or praise. In fact, very confident people seek for opportunities to praise the accomplishments of others.

2. They refuse to make excuses. Excuses are an attempt to dodge accountability and blame.
   Confident people embrace accountability and don’t worry about being blamed.
   They own their mistakes and command respect accordingly.
3. They aren’t defensive. In fact, confident people are open-minded about their mistakes and what they could have done better, thus avoiding the need to redirect anything to anyone.

Read more: https://www.inc.com/scott-mautz/highly-confident-people-avoid-these-14-behaviors.html

Here are 7 Habits of Highly Self Confident People

#confidence, #daily-post, #mental-health, #postaday, #self-improvement

Actively choose Joy to master the art of Positivity

Being optimistic is a skill. True positivity artists master their obstacles and make life appear pleasant, upbeat, and even wonderful. However, positivity is a game that anybody can play.

The entire world serves as a canvas for the art of positivity, and you must master it in order to live happily.

A dash of goodwill and another of self-esteem. Add to that a big dose of thanks to the One Almighty God.

You just make one serving – food for you and you alone, when you cook up Positivity. Savor it and you having a dish that can make you really happy. You must actively choose joy and remaining grateful to the Lord even in times of difficulties.

Positivity’s first component is “a pinch of compassion.”Without a sprinkle of kindness, it is impossible to have a truly happy view.

Your restaurant service may appear nasty, slow, or unskilled, but a pinch of politeness will keep a positive person positive.Kindness may drive you to wonder whether or not the server has eaten yet.

You may be wondering if she’s having a horrible day. She may continue to be unpleasant, slow, or inept at her job, but a pinch of kindness changes YOU, not her. There is no room for negativity when there is no room for judgement or nasty ideas. Positivity is still present.

And, if you’re lucky, your optimistic attitude in the face of adversity might just persuade that server to alter its mind after all.

The third component is “a dash of self-love.” If self-love is not included in the Positivity mix, outer circumstances will always get the best of you and negativity will emerge. “A dollop of fun” should be included.

The third component is fun, because positivity cannot take root if you are not having fun. Positivity artists understand this; practically everything is enjoyable to them. Life is not something to be tolerated; it is something to be savoured. Sometimes all we have to do is look for it.

Joy is found on the inside, not on the outer. Negative situations can force us to do one of three things: shut down, be caught up in the negativity, or seek refuge within ourselves.

Only those who are well-versed in positive will choose to go within, thus positivity is an art that can save lives — yours first and possibly that of others later.

Tomorrow may bring you heartache, but it will not take away your delight. The next element is “a drop of acceptance,” which cannot be substituted. Surprisingly, it complements the “dollop of delight,” resulting in an unrivaled combination.

In principle, living a joyful and enjoyable life is excellent, but it’s easier said than done unless acceptance also plays a role.

You must understand that you cannot control the storms that may come your way if you want to live with zest, joy, and true happiness. But how you feel about your challenges can turn the game in your favor.

You should be able to thank the One Almighty God for the good and the bad things. When you thank Him for the good things, it shows that you are grateful towards the Lord. But, remaining grateful on your bad days will show you are patient even in times of difficulties.

Read more: https://liberomagazine.com/mentalhealth/recipe-for-positivity/

Source: Master the art of Positivity; Actively choose Joy – Towards A Better Life

#daily-post, #health-and-fitness, #mental-health, #positive-thinking, #postaday

5 key practices to achieve complete well-being – Life And Crime Stories

Complete well-being is only when a person is fit both physically and mentally. For that it is important that we take care of all the areas of our lives and implement complete well-being practices.

This article shows you five key practices for your well-being. One of them is to create true connections.

This practice is one of the best remedies for our selfishness and self-centeredness, characteristics that so much affect our well-being. When we create real connections, developing a genuine interest in the other, we take the focus away from our concerns a little and realize the infinite universes that exist beyond our own. This relieves our minds and helps us form partnership and relationships, which benefit each other without being the main objective of being close to someone.

Read more: https://webrl.org/2021/03/24/5-essential-practices-for-your-well-being/

Source: 5 key practices to achieve complete well-being – Life And Crime Stories

#daily-post, #health-and-fitness, #mental-health, #postaday

Psychotic Does Not Mean Violent – Life And Crime Stories

People with a mental disease such as schizophrenia are often thought to be violent. But that may not be true in all cases. In fact I believe that if handled with care and understanding and given pr…

Source: Psychotic Does Not Mean Violent – Life And Crime Stories

#daily-post, #health-and-fitness, #mental-health, #postaday

A treasure trove of advice from therapists you can use for the rest of your life.

Are you one of those people who seek advices to better their lives rather than hating to take them? Here are 15 golden pieces of advice therapists have doled out you can use throughout your life.

#bloggingfundamentals, #daily-post, #firstfridays, #health-and-fitness, #mental-health, #postaday, #postive-thinking

Targets of Bullying and Social Anxiety

After being bullied for so long, targets can develop social anxiety. They withdraw from people because they fear future attacks. The target’s spirit has been beaten down and broken and the person has been abused to the point of losing faith in humanity. Also, they’re reprogrammed to believe the bullies’ lies that they aren’t worthy of love and friendship. They are under the presumption that it’s much safer not to engage in any social interaction.

But what the target doesn’t realize is that in closing himself off from the rest of the world, he unknowingly limits himself in all aspects of life.

Humans were created to socialize and to have relationships. When targets create this invisible fortress around them, it doesn’t ensure their safety but only brings about more bullying. Bullies get their power from our fear. They are like ferocious animals who can smell fear from a mile away and believe me. They take full advantage.

Moreover, targets miss out on relationships that, otherwise, could be and would be fulfilling and rewarding. They unwittingly forego opportunities for friendship, dating, even good jobs that can produce personal success and financial well-being. Because if a person doesn’t believe in themselves, no one else will- that includes potential friends, dates, and company managers and supervisors. No one wants to be friends with, date, or hire someone who isn’t sure of himself unless they have low self-esteem themselves.

People recognize, if only subconsciously, social anxiety when they see it and not only through the more obvious signs, such as quietness, avoidance, trembling, blushing, stuttering or sweaty palms.

Social anxiety can also be more covert, showing itself in less obvious ways:

1. Excessive laughing and giggling
2. Appearing normal on the outside but nervous and shaky on the inside
3. Excessive humor and being overly funny or no sense of humor at all
4. Excessive sarcasm/having a smart-alicky attitude
5. Being overly friendly/too nice
6. Shutting down/freezing up- unable to talk or move
7. Meanness/rudeness
8. Fidgeting/can’t sit still
9. Lack of or too much eye contact
10. Poor posture/looking down all the time
11. Having a hard time keeping up with a conversation
12. Talking too loudly, too fast, too soft, too slow, or not at all
13. Indifference
14. Excessive use of foul language
15. Promiscuity/raciness
16. Wearing attire that is provocative or super-revealing
17. A style that is “perceived” as separatist or out of the ordinary (goth, punk-rock, etc.)

The difficult thing is that those covert signs don’t always mean that the person has social anxiety. Many people just have their own sense of style or they may be naturally introverted. They may also have a boisterous personality. If you do not know the person or aren’t close to them, it’s hard to tell.

But one thing that is noticeable is if the person never exhibited this kind of behavior or look before and suddenly, or within a short amount of time transitions into it. And these kinds of changes can only be noticeable to those who are close to the person or have been around the person for years.

Therefore, if you know a person who is showing these signs, instead of pointing a finger and judging them cruelly, ask questions and find out why. You may not realize that person could be a target of bullying or another form of abuse.

And if you are a target of bullying and struggling with social anxiety, I want you to know that you don’t have to live in that invisible prison forever. Bullies do not deserve value and you shouldn’t place any worth to their opinions of you. Understand that you are enough and that your bullies haven’t earned your respect nor your attention.

Only value the opinions or thoughts of the people who love you and whose opinions deserve your consideration, attention, and acknowledgement.

Start loving yourself and practicing self-care. Relax and be yourself. Embrace your flaws and quirks because we all have them whether we admit it or not. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. I promise you that you’ll be much happier and have more peace of mind when you do.

#abuse, #bullying, #mental-health, #social-anxiety, #targets-of-bullying, #trauma